Written By Kelly Holm
If you’re seeking a little sunny optimism as summer slips away into fall, British singer-songwriter Charlotte Jane is ready to celebrate the little things with “Loving the Light.” The latest single is an ode to on-and-off-again love that calls to mind Duffy with a dance-pop twist.
“I’m loving the light, the simple things/The birds, the trees,” Jane sings in the track’s fast-paced chorus. “Ain’t gonna talk about tomorrow/Cause we got right now.”
Born in Hull, Charlotte Jane began singing at pub karaoke when she was around five, wrote her first song at age six, and made a commitment to seek a career in music as a teen.
“I’ve always wanted to perform for as long as I remember, but I think I formally decided to pursue it as a job when I was 14 or 15,” she said. “If you want to make money quick, do literally any job other than being an artist… but [my favorite part is] the amazing feeling of creating new music in the studio with really talented people and performing live.”
Jokingly dubbing herself “a performing monkey and an emotional wreck,” not to mention “a sucker for Churros food trucks,” Jane has dropped plenty of new music in 2021. In April, she released the five-track EP “Refuge,” whose title song earned praise from Elton John.
“‘Down Days’ has recently been my favorite,” she says of the third track on the EP. “It’s a different feel from anything else in my set. I can’t wait to play it with a full band.”
Then, of course, came “Loving the Light.” Though it was just released on Aug. 20, Jane actually penned “Loving the Light” a couple of years ago.
“I wrote [‘Loving the Light’] in LA before the pandemic, and it was the first time I brought my childhood friend, guitarist [Joe Arksey], into a session,” she said. “You’ll hear his insane guitar solo on the track… I had a lot of shit going on in my life at the time and I was putting a lot of pressure on myself— to do better in my career, find love, look a certain way amongst it all. This song was exactly the medicine I needed to remind myself that there’s so much to be grateful for and to just take every day as it comes.”
Jane initially intended to release “Loving the Light” around March 2020, but as COVID-19 became an increasing threat, she felt that the song might be off-tone for the moment.
“Since then, we’ve revisited the production… it sounds so much better now,” she said. “I just hope the message is what everyone wants to hear right now, it’s a positive song and I think that we all need the positive vibes as we start to get back to everyday life again.”
In addition to cranking out mad beats, Charlotte Jane’s been playing several festivals lately, and teases that even more music with “upbeat vibes” is on the way as she continues to spin her emotions into songs.
“I’m not entirely sure what’s going on in my head most days, so writing has been quite slow and painful at times,” she admits.”
Taking inspiration from influences as diverse as H.E.R. and Bon Iver, Jane knows that in order to succeed in this “crazy industry,” she needs to surround herself with a solid team of mentors and friends who have her back, and never forget where she made her start.
“I’d love to sell out a ginormous outdoor show in Hull,” she says. “I think to come home to the place I grew up, and have that kind of success, would really blow my mind.”
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